Private Heaven
by SophieLiebe
Summary: Sakura decides to take a break from her job as a medic ninja. But her vacation becomes work when she has to heal a man deemed unrecoverable to society.
1. Chapter I

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Naruto, neither do I own the soundtrack music. I only own the plot.

 **WARNINGS:** This site doesn't have MA rating in the system. As such, I'm warning beforehand - this story contains explicit language and adult themes. If you're a minor, I advise you not to read it.

 **A/N:** This is a repost of an old story I decided to rewrite. Please review, because without your feedback, I can't know if the story is good or if it sucks. Also, it helps a lot with motivation.

 **SOUNDTRACK:** Mumford and Sons - The Enemy

* * *

 _Prologue_

Sakura dived into the lake again. The cold water didn't bother her much for it had been a hot day. Opening her green eyes under the translucent liquid, she could see small fishes swimming around her. One of them brushed her right leg slightly and she giggled.

She swam back and forth with the fishes, emerging only when her lungs pleaded for oxygen. Shivering from the breeze that passed through her naked body, the woman admired the scenery.

She was surrounded by a dense forest with thick trees and turquoise water that descended graciously from the waterfall not far from her. A red light coming from the sunset created a halo in the woods, giving the place an enchanted aspect. The whole frame seemed to be taken from a fairytale book.

Sakura was somewhere in the Land of Rivers, though she didn't know exactly where. She found an old, abandoned, wood cabin near the waterfall she was currently in. She actually meant to go to a hot springs in Suna, but something about that place claimed her attention.

She didn't even want to take this vacation, for she had been so busy at the hospital. Tsunade-sama was the one who insisted - more like demanded - that the kunoichi should take a break when she passed out from exhaustion after two days without sleep. But now, she was glad she did.

Closing her eyes, she breathed in the strong scent of earth and wood.

That's when another smell invaded her nostrils.

Iron.

Sakura opened her eyes right away, knowing exactly what that smell meant.

 _Blood._

She scanned the area, searching for its source. Turning around, she realized that the water, which was supposed to be of a nearly transparent blue, was slightly tainted in red. Following the alarming color, Sakura saw a body lying on the shore not far from her. She swam towards the bleeding person, medic sight already analyzing every single wound.

But as she got closer, her eyes widened.

It was a man.

But not any man.

There, bloodied, half conscious, with a large gash on the chest and uncountable other wounds, laid no one less than Uchiha Itachi.

With one of his arms inside the water, he tried to wash the wound while fighting to stay awake. The man pulled out a kunai as soon as he saw her, and threw in her direction. The kunai landed on a stone, about inches from her arm.

Sakura yelped.

If he wasn't in the verge of death, that kunai would've probably landed on her throat. Still, closing his dark obsidian eyes, exhaustion claimed him.

And with that, Sakura was left with a hard choice to make. As a kunoichi and as Sasuke's friend, she was supposed to let him die. As a medic and as human, she was supposed to save him.

Life was quickly running out of his body while she stood frozen in place. The water seemed to drop ten degrees, numbing her body. She took her arms out of water, lifting herself enough to touch him but not enough to show her nakedness. She brought her shaking hands to his torso but stopped dead in her tracks.

What was she doing?

That was Uchiha Itachi, S-ranked rogue ninja, murderer of the Uchiha clan, traitor of the Hidden Leaf Village, member of Akatsuki, one of the most searched criminal in the world.

And a human.

To save or to kill, Sakura wondered.


	2. Chapter II

Big owl eyes watched him with a worried expression. Soft lips moved, but he couldn't hear what they said. She was hovering over him, naked as the day, trying to hide herself in the water. But he was in too much pain to pay attention to her. Then a green light started shining around him. The pain was gone and the world went dark.

The darkness began to fade, giving place to a room with blood splattered everywhere. It was coming from two beheaded bodies lying on the floor. Looking down, he saw a bloodied katana in his hand.

His heart raced when he heard a sob from a corner at his right. A small kid with dark hair and even darker eyes watched him, terrified. Suddenly, a tear escaped the boy's left eye.

A ruby red tear.

Itachi gasped and opened his eyes. His body ached and he felt cold, except for his thorax. There was an odd heat coming from that part. Looking down, he saw himself clad only in his underwear and a pink haired woman touching his right serratus.

Taking hold of her wrists, Itachi brought the very surprised woman close to his face.

"Who are you and what are you doing to me?" The Uchiha demanded with a hoarse but firm voice.

"I'm Haruno Sakura and I'm healing you." She answered quickly, as if her life depended on that. It probably did.

"Why?" He glared.

"Because you're hurt." Sakura stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Itachi analyzed the situation. His chakra flow seemed normal and he couldn't see or feel any restraints to his body, which meant she wasn't holding him captive. Or at least trying to.

Freeing herself from his grasp, Sakura slowly dragged her arm around his back and rested his head in the crook of her elbow, earning a glare from the man. She turned to grab something behind her, not realizing the inappropriate closeness between her breasts and his face as she did so.

"Here." She faced him and placed a cup of water in his lips. Suddenly aware of how thirsty he was, Itachi nearly drowned in the small glass before she let him rest in the futon again.

"Where are my clothes?" He was feeling rather uncomfortable of being so exposed to her. Also, he needed to get out of there, and he wouldn't do that in boxers.

"They were all shattered and muddling my work, so I threw them away. I'll buy you new ones tomorrow." Sakura finished healing his thorax. Watching her professional look towards his body made him feel more comfortable around her.

Itachi examined the room around him. The only furniture was a fireplace and a table with a pair of chairs by the window. Two of the four doors in the chamber were closed, but looking through the open one, he could see a stove, which meant it was the kitchen. So, he assumed, the other three were the bedroom, bathroom and the one next to the window probably lead to outside.

It was just a small, rotten cabin, and by the layer of dust covering the floor, it hadn't been inhabited in a while. Still, it was cozy.

"I don't know who you fought with, but it sure kicked your ass."

Itachi stared at her dumbfounded. Wasn't she afraid of dying? Not only her language was very unlady like but she was rather brave - or stupid - of speaking to him like that.

He shrugged off. She wasn't worth his time. He was about to get up when Sakura brought him out of his wandering.

"Good thing you're awake. I need you to be conscious for the next treatment." The medic got up to take some items from a bag.

"I don't see any injuries." He stated.

"Oh, I've healed your injuries yesterday." She turned to face him again with a small bowl and a few herbs in her hands.

"How much time have I slept?" Itachi asked.

"Three days." Sakura crouched next to him and started smashing and mixing the herbs in the bowl. "I was almost out of saline."

"I'm better already." He impatiently tried to get up, but was stopped again, this time by her hand, pushing him by the chest back to the mattress.

"I've healed you wounds, not your illness." Sakura gave him a stern look. "But I guess you already knew that, since I found various traces of drugs in your system. Hypertension. Third stage. Your heart is so damaged I don't even know how you managed to stay alive after getting so many wounds. I need you to tell me when it started so I can-"

"Why do you even care?" The Uchiha glared at her.

"I'm a medic nin. It's my job." She said simply.

"You do realize I'm your enemy, right?" Itachi waited for an answer but nothing came out of her mouth. He took her silence as a yes.

She was a shinobi, of course she heard of him. Then why was she helping him?

"There isn't a cure for hypertension," Sakura went on, completely ignoring his question. "But I can give you a treatment to control it."

Itachi already knew about his disease since he obviously consulted other doctors before. For that, he knew that an impassive look and calm voice were necessary abilities to give bad news. He admired the way Sakura did it so fluently.

"You have two years, being very optimistic. But at least the pain and other symptoms will diminish."

The medic took a small amount of the green paste of plants she smashed before and used as ink to draw a few symbols in his chest, above his heart. She cleaned her finger in her trousers and placed both her hands above his chest, close enough for him to feel her warmth but still not touching. Her hands started glowing a green hue around them, like in his dream. It was nothing he hadn't seen before but still, he felt infatuated by the light.

"Who says I want to be treated?" Itachi said.

"Who says you have a choice?" Sakura retorted.

Of course he had a choice. He always did. But why did he _chose_ to remain silent instead of snapping her neck and leaving, was unknown to Itachi.

* * *

After three hours of healing, Itachi actually felt better. His everlasting headache was gone along with his tiredness.

The sun that illuminated the living room went down and with the night, came the cold. So, Sakura set the fire and headed to the kitchen to make them some food. She also gave him a gray coat of hers.

Sakura came back with a steamy soup in her hands and they both sat in the chairs opposite to each other. They ate quietly for some time, and when they were done, she decided to break the silence.

"Why haven't you fled yet? We both know you can." She asked.

"I'm curious." Itachi answered.

"About what?" She gazed at him, questioningly.

"Your motives to save me." Sakura shifted under his stare, but he was used to it. People usually got anxious in his presence.

"Medical ethic." She looked away.

"That's gainsaying to your profession." He stated.

"That's why I have the personal rule to only let die those I'm ordered to kill." She smirked.

"I'm in the Bingo Book." Itachi saw her mouth open to give him another smart answer but he was done with that. "Just tell me already."

He watched as she pondered whether to tell him or not.

"I… I was Sasuke's teammate." Now she had his full attention. Not that he would let her know that anyway. "As such, I am expected to I hate you."

"Expected?" He arched a brow.

"Yes. He's my friend, so I should hate you because friends support each other. But I'm not supportive of his beliefs and I do not believe in revenge. Before anything else, I'm a medic, so I will heal you, and only then I'll accomplish my duties as a shinobi and bring you to justice." Sakura put great emphasis to the word justice, he noticed.

"Is that so?" Itachi listened quite amused with her innocent faith. "And why do you think you can bring me to justice?"

"You may be stronger than me but I was trained under Tsunade Senju herself, so don't underestimate me. I can make you break a sweat. Besides, I saw how damaged your heart is. Without my treatment, you won't last a week." Sakura said firmly.

She had him there. He didn't care for his health, it was his destiny to be killed by his brother. But Sasuke wasn't ready yet. Also, he found out some dirty truths about Tobi, which was why he was in this situation in the first place. He had to make sure that Pain knew he was being manipulated. For now, he needed her.

"Also, if I arrest you, Sasuke-kun would come back home…" Sakura smiled, speaking more to herself than to him. He'd met a fair share of women to know what that meant.

"So you love him?" Itachi asked.

Her eyes widened for a fraction of second before she got up, taking the dishes with her. "Not anymore."

By the sadness in her voice, Itachi could only assume the reason was Sasuke's betrayal. He could only hope that both his brother and this woman find happiness once he's gone.


	3. Chapter III

Sakura was grateful for a refreshing wind in such a hot day, but it was starting to annoy her. The more she tried to make her bun still, the more this stupid breeze blew her pinks locks away. Deciding it was a lost cause, she sighed.

With the back propped on a tree and legs stretched in the grass, she proceeded on her task of enjoying some free time after another healing session with the Uchiha currently showering in the cabin.

The treatment was very intensive due to the short schedule. After Itachi decided to stay, - whatever the reason for that was - Sakura sent a letter to the Hokage, reporting she would have to extend her vacation to help someone severely ill she found during the trip. Being the apple of Tsunade's eyes plus doctor-patient confidentiality granted her a free pass for a month. However, a month was not nearly enough. So, they had sessions six hours per day, every day.

Just the thought of it had Sakura massaging her temples in frustration.

She knew she should've taken Itachi back to Konoha the moment she first saw him, but he wouldn't make it alive. She couldn't take him after she found out about his heart condition either. There would be no mercy in the jail. Not that he deserved any, but Sakura was a medic, she couldn't help it. And now it's been three weeks since she got herself in this mess.

Three weeks…

Her time was running out and the treatment didn't had any progress. It wasn't getting worse but it wasn't getting better either. The only reasonable answer for such a simple treatment not to work was other diseases that lead to hypertension. But he didn't had any history, neither did his family for all he told her, and there were no other symptoms aside from the hypertensive ones.

Sakura took a small red notepad from her pocket and read its contents. She took notes on his habits. Itachi ate well, trained every day, didn't smoke or drink. To anyone else he seemed perfectly healthy, but she knew better.

The only possible issue she found was his sleep. The cabin was small and the bedroom, where she slept, was beside the living room, where he slept. So it wasn't very hard to hear his grunts and wails during the nightmares every single night. Sometimes it was so agonizing that she had to wake him up. But when she asked him about it, he shut her down. And without knowing the source of the problem, she couldn't tell if it was related to his disease or if it was an isolated problem.

Deciding that thinking too much was useless, Sakura stood up and made her way back to the cabin.

That place became sort of a sanctuary for her these last couple weeks. Even the civilian village nearby was the perfect portrait of calm and serenity.

She passed by the day after Itachi woke up, to buy him new clothes. He didn't seemed very pleased with the light colored garments but he didn't complain. And with a white shirt, Itachi looked way less frightening.

Actually, that relieved and bugged Sakura at the same time.

The Uchiha still scared a hell lot of her but he didn't look as dark and evil as before. They were enemies and would always be, but she never held such deep conversations with someone like she did to him.

Not that they need to talk. She soon found out that Itachi, much like his brother, was a man of actions, not words. And she was so curious about this silent language of his, that she would constantly analyze him. And she found out that she could easily speak with him through it.

Sakura barely set foot inside the house before stopping dead in her tracks.

Itachi was standing in the room, looking like he had just finished his bath. He was shirtless, hair loose and body wet. But what made her stop was the fact that he was gripping the table so hard that his knuckles had gone white. And he was staring at it too intently.

She made her way to him with light steps, not wanting to disturb him. He didn't notice her or if he did, he didn't acknowledged, so she knew something was wrong.

Getting closer she realized that he wasn't wet from the bath - he was sweating. Sakura inspected him, realizing he had trouble breathing and his pupils were dilated. None of those were symptoms of hypertension, so what was going on?

Sakura slowly placed her hand on his wrist, trying to take his blood pressure.

Bad idea.

The moment her skin came in contact to his, his eyes snapped to her, sharingan activated. She quickly looked away, not wanting to get caught in a genjutsu.

Taking careful steps backwards, Sakura shivered. Itachi started towards her slowly but menacing. She tried to run but he was faster. The minute she turned to door, the kunoichi felt one of his hands grabbing her neck and pressing her to the wall.

Sakura desperately clawed his forearm because by the force he was using, she was sure her neck was going to snap anytime. She had to infuse chakra on her hands to get out of his grasp but she didn't want to hurt him since, obviously, he was in some sort of reverie.

The pain was nearing unbearable and her vision was starting to get dark, but what scared her the most was his face. It was the first time she saw a real expression on his face. And the expression was of pure anger.

"I-ta-chi…" She managed to speak with one last shaky breath.

It worked.

Itachi's eyes swirled back to black as he broke his hold on her. Sakura slipped in the wall but he caught her before she hit to the ground. And they stood there, silently regaining their breaths while the adrenaline left their system.

She looked at his scratched, bleeding arm and felt his gaze wandering through her marked, purple neck. The tension between them was tangible. She moved her green glowing hand to his arm and then to her neck, taking away both their pain.

Itachi brought her closer to him and Sakura leaned in his embrace, silent language speaking again. That simple action was enough for them to know that he was sorry and she forgave him.

"Psychic hyperexcitability." She said, still cuddling like a child in his arms.

When she didn't add anything else, it was his turn. "Care to clarify?"

"An spontaneous memory of a traumatic situation followed by an exaggerated scape reaction." Sakura remembered how the man who could sense someone kilometers away, wasn't able to sense her in the same room as him.

Dilated pupils, sweat, increased heart beat...

Nightmares.

Things finally started to make sense.

"How long have you had ptsd?" Sakura asked while listening to his now steady heart beats. She was stunned with her find and even more stunned when he answered promptly.

"Since I was thirteen." Itachi's husky voice echoed through the room.

Her eyes widened in recognition.

It was simple math, all she had to do was put two and two together. The massacre happened when Sasuke was six and Itachi was seven years older than Sasuke. He was thirteen.

Sakura pushed away from his chest enough to look him in the eye, making sure to show him her best shocked face. The Uchiha in response, simply placed her on the ground and walked out of the room.

Alone, Sakura had to dwell on the fact that the extension of the problem was way worse than she thought. She'd seen the sorrow, the regret for hurting her clear in his eyes.

Why would a heartless, cold blooded killer, who slaughtered his whole family and clan just to measure his power, be traumatized by his own actions and feel sorry for hurting a woman?

She was starting to feel that this man was not who he claimed to be.


	4. Chapter IV

To say Itachi was annoyed was a statement.

Sakura caught him in one of his most vulnerable moments - when he was having an episode. The only person who ever saw him during an episode was Kisame, which didn't end well since after that they became friends. And he did not wish to befriend her. But here she was, picnic basket in hand, taking him to the waterfall next to the cabin.

The Uchiha knew exactly what that was.

Pity.

Haruno pitied him for being ill and wanted to fix him. Hoshigaki did that too, though instead of a picnic, he took Itachi to a whore house, claiming he needed to relax.

Itachi was no saint, rather he was far from it, but he usually would pick a civilian when he wanted sex. He didn't want to belittle whores, he just didn't like the smell of alcohol for a perfume or the amount of makeup they used - which was larger than the amount of clothes they wore.

He can't say he didn't liked though. After two bottles of sake and a free show of a very drunk Kisame hitting on women, anyone would be more relaxed. But it didn't make him any happier neither took away his disease. It only made him dislike his partner a little less.

The waterfall was a peaceful place, he had to admit. And it looked strangely familiar.

"This is where I found you." Sakura clarified his thoughts, while laying the basket on the ground. She was getting good at reading him and that was starting to annoy Itachi.

He took a good look at the place where all of this started. He didn't remember walking that much but apparently he did, since his battle happened in Suna's border.

Itachi sent a letter to Pain already, informing him of his fight with Tobi and how he discovered the Uchiha to have manipulated all of them. He didn't got any response though, 'cause Itachi made sure not to send his location.

He shouldn't have sent such an important message through his crow, much less with no informations on his whereabouts. But, being honest with himself, he didn't want anyone to know where he was. He liked staying hidden in that cabin falling to pieces with Sakura.

Itachi turned his attention to said woman just in time to see her tugging the hem of her blue sundress. She started pulling upwards but when the dress was about to reveal her butt, he turned away.

"That's not appropriate kunoichi." Itachi reprimanded her.

"And _you_ are going to lecture me on what's appropriate?" Sakura said sarcastically.

"If you planned to swim, you should've bought a swimsuit." He said.

"The only difference between a swimsuit and an underwear is the fabric." He could nearly hear a smirk in her voice, but he didn't turn around. She sighed. "Come on Itachi. I'm a medic, you're a ninja, we're professionals. We both learnt how to restrain our emotions in order to perform our work. Besides, there's nothing in there I haven't seen already, so we have no reason to be ashamed or afraid."

She knew how to speak with him, he couldn't deny that. Sakura could be a diplomat if she wished so. Itachi reached the hem of the too white shirt she bought for him and pulled off. Placing it in a near branch, he moved to his pants. Once he was clad only in his gray boxers he turned around.

She stared at him.

He stared at her.

Itachi usually only said that to annoy his brother but this time was for real. His otouto really was foolish. He understood his need of revenge but leaving such beautiful a woman was stupidity.

It was a shame they met each other under such circumstances, because otherwise Itachi would gladly think of her more than just his doctor. And if the decided look on her face meant anything, she felt the same way about him.

Sakura offered her hand for him to take it. His large hand touched her small one, and that was it. No sparks or chemistry, no urges and needs.

"See? We're fine." She smiled while pulling him.

Sakura placed one foot on the water and almost immediately stepped back.

"It's a bit colder than I thought…" She let go of his hand.

Oh no. She wouldn't throw him all that speech, make him undress himself, only to back out now. Taking a hold of her waist, Itachi pulled her body flush against his and dragged her down the water with him.

"Itachi, stop! I can get in myself!" She yelled.

It was, indeed, very cold. Sakura trashed out, trying to climb him like a monkey, once the water was on his hips.

But, it was of no avail, for in the next second he dived into the water, taking her with him. Itachi let of her only after making sure she was completely submerged.

Sakura emerged with a face as pink as her hair. "You jerk!"

The kunoichi shivered from the cold, but the water temperature was soon forgotten when she started to laugh. Itachi looked at her inquisitively.

"It was funny. The way we got in the water." She said between giggles.

Her laugh was so contagious, he found himself smiling for a second. It was just a second but her quick eyes caught the movement of his lips and she smirked proudly at him.

* * *

Their day flowed smoothly. They competed to see who was the fastest swimmer and who held the breath longer. Itachi won both. The lunch she prepared was his favorite - onigiri with seaweed. They talked about all kinds of subjects, without getting too much in their past and private life.

Then, sunset came.

"There's one last thing we need to do. Your treatment." Sakura explained.

"In here?" Itachi inquired.

"Yes. But this time it's not for your heart. It's for your mind. Close your eyes." Their friendly relation changed to doctor-patient mode in a heartbeat. He did as she said and felt her moving closer.

"Itachi, I need you to concentrate in my voice. Do not get distracted." Her voice was barely a whisper.

He felt her chakra on his temples. "You're always tense, always on guard, always alert, even in your sleep. That means something bad happened to you and now you feel the need to protect yourself all the time. You don't let it show, but under this mask, you're scared. What are you afraid of?"

"This cheap attempt of getting into my mind won't work, kunoichi." Itachi scoffed.

"It's not an attempt. I'm already inside."

He opened his eyes. They were in the same lake, except their surroundings were as dark as Itachi's eyes, the only source of light being the woman in front of him. Sakura was surrounded by a green light, looking at him curiously.

"How did you do this?" He growled at her. "Get out of my head. Now!"

But she stood unmoving, like a statue.

Itachi heard caws and looked up, expecting to see crows, but he saw only their red, sharingan eyes, glimmering in the darkness. As if in a reflexion from the doujutsus above them, the water turned into blood.

Two dead corpses surfaced in that infernal lake. Upon further inspection, Itachi realized those bodies were his parents, floating beside them. The caws grew louder and louder but he could hear a distinct sound in between them. A child voice.

"Aniki…" Sasuke was crouched on the very same spot where Sakura first found Itachi.

"Sasuke…" He said hoarsely.

Itachi felt a pressure on his head and succumbing to it, he was out of whatever genjutsu Sakura casted. The pressure was actually the kunoichi's hands, because he took her by the shoulders during his frenzy, and by her look, it was hurting. He didn't let her go though, anger visible in his face, fear visible on hers.

"What happened?" Itachi asked.

"Y-you had another episode." Sakura said.

He quickly got out of the water and got dressed, Sakura following suit.

The walk back to the cabin was a quiet one, which he didn't mind since he had no wish to speak about what happened. He wasn't sure of how much Sakura saw inside his head, but at the moment, he didn't care. Sll Itachi wanted now was to lie down and rest.

But of course life would never go easy on him.

As soon as they walked inside the house, his vision got blurred and that horrible migraine started in the back of his eyes. He already knew he was losing his sight but this was too sudden.

"Itachi, I'm sorry. I had no idea the genjutsu was going to trigger-" Sakura started apologizing.

Itachi tried to turn around to look at her, but only managed to bump on her, making her lose balance.

She thought he was pushing her for being angry and snapped at him. "Are you blind?!"

He stiffened.

Once she saw how abruptly he stopped, the medic started to worry.

"Oh my God, Itachi are you blind?" She forcefully turned his head to her direction.

He could still see the colors of her vibrant green eyes and pink hair but he couldn't see the contours and lines of her face anymore. And the strangest part was, Itachi found himself missing those contours of her badly.


	5. Chapter V

Taking Itachi by the arm, Sakura carefully guided him to the futon in the living room. The days were hot but the nights were cold in that land. For that, she set the fireplace so they wouldn't freeze since they were still wet.

Positioning both of her hands in his temples, she started sending healing chakra to his eyes. Itachi had his usual indifferent expression secured in his face during the examination.

"How did I miss this?" Sakura said as she assessed the damage. There was a mass blocking his sight, but she couldn't find its source. She needed to intensify things a bit more. "Can you activate your Sharingan, please?"

Itachi didn't let it show, but the pain that crossed his eyes when he turned on did not go unnoticed to Sakura's chakra.

As she figured, the problem was the doujutsu, There was an accumulation of the sharingan cells, which was affecting his normal sight. And she didn't thought she could fix it completely, but she would at least try.

"Wow…" That was all she could say when she started restoring his sight.

"What?" He questioned.

"I've never treated a doujutsu before. The Sharingan cells are larger than usual cells. Well, not large, just wide enough so I can see by naked eye." Sakura grinned.

She was amazed by all those tiny dots, moving around, fixing themselves with the help of her chakra. Sakura got closer to him, to the point where their noses were almost touching, just to have a better view of the spectacle currently happening inside his eyes.

Itachi seemed uncomfortable, probably thinking she was crazy. If he could only see what she was seeing...

"I wish I had a Sharingan right now, just to record this on my mind." Sakura smiled. "It's beautiful."

"Indeed." Itachi said.

"How would you know?" She giggled. "You can't see what I… Oh." Realization came upon her.

Sakura stopped the flow immediately and his eyes went back to black. They both knew what was happening.

She'd been wondering what would be like to kiss him for a while now, since the day she found out about his ptsd. But the logic part of her always interfered in those thoughts, which she'd been grateful for. But, even if just for a moment, she decided to give those thoughts an opportunity to manifest themselves.

Sakura leaned forward, eyes fixed on his, and gave him a experimental peck. Though Itachi didn't rejected her, he didn't respond either, so she withdrawn her lips.

"You loved him, and he rejected you. Are you sure you're not just seeking solace in another Uchiha?" Itachi asked.

"Do you really think so little of yourself as to not deserve my affections?" Sakura retorted, offended.

"Not at all. I simply don't want any misunderstandings." He explained.

"There are none." She said.

"Good." As soon as the word left his mouth, said mouth came crashing to her own.

This time, they closed their eyes and the kiss was different. Before, it was just a touch of skin, but now, Sakura felt as if someone sent a lightning jutsu on her spine. A delightful one.

Itachi grabbed her neck, which made the medic gasp, remembering how he hurt her the first time he did that. But apparently, that was his intention, because he took the opportunity of her open mouth to interlace his tongue with hers. His hand kept surrounding her neck, but massaging instead of hurting.

His other palm catched her waist, inviting Sakura to straddle his lap, which she gladly accepted. She fisted his dark tresses, freeing them from their imprisonment in the elastic band.

Their tongues swayed with each other in synchrony, until he sucked her tongue one last time before his lips started descending. The hand on her neck pulled her hair, exposing her long column to his mouth.

His movements drew whimpers from Sakura, who was busying herself with his shirt. Once the damp fabric was taken away, Itachi replicated her actions and transferred her dress from her body to the floor. This game proceeded until they were stripped of the rest of their garments.

They enjoyed the feeling of their flesh for a while. The pair kissed, caressed and moaned, making a tour through every muscle, every curve, every scar.

Eventually, Sakura had her back on the futon and Itachi had his member positioned on her entry. He forced himself in on one thrust and she clawed his shoulders in pain.

Each one drew blood from the other, so they were even.

He didn't move. He just looked at her, recording her reaction. Literally recording, Sakura realized, when she saw his eyes turn red again.

The Uchiha placed his forehead against her own and took his member out. Only to thrust back in. He fastened the pace steadily, until the point where her legs wrapped around his torso and his arms crushing her body onto his.

Sakura took upon sucking his jaw, biting his earlobe, clawing his back, anything to distract her a little bit from the hurricane inside her belly.

Suddenly, Sakura stopped moaning.

She was shaking, but not outside. Her insides seemed to be convulsing. And it was the best sensation she's ever felt.

It was only for a few seconds but what she felt was so strong, so disorienting, that she was afraid of accidentally infusing chakra in her hug and hurting him.

Her first orgasm was unforgettable, not only for her but for Itachi that had his Sharingan trained on her the whole time.

Only when she was out of her high, Itachi allowed himself a few more thrusts before shuddering and emptying himself inside of her.

They collapsed, both sweaty and breathing hard. Pulling the covers above them, Sakura thought of what had just happened.

She had sex with the enemy, Sasuke's brother nonetheless. This was wrong in so many levels. And it was good in so many other levels. She wasn't sure if Itachi felt her uneasiness or if he thought she was asleep, but he started speaking.

"It was an order." The Uchiha said and went silent for some time.

Sakura thought of the probabilities of his high getting him insane, for she had no idea what he was talking about. And as if reading her mind, he started again.

"I was a double spy. I still am, sort of." As he kept talking, Sakura felt her heart getting heavy.

"The Uchiha clan was planning to take the village, so I told the Third and the elders. They asked me to stop them. My cousin Shisui was helping me, and our original plan was to use his Mangekyou to cast a genjutsu in the whole clan during one of the meetings. But Danzou is the type of man who thinks that everything is solved with violence, so he took one of Shisui's eyes, ruining the plan. That's when the elders made the decision. In order to prevent a civil war, I had to end my clan."

When he ceased speaking, Sakura had tears threatening to leave her eyelids. She turned around and propped herself on her elbows.

"You didn't spare Sasuke because he was weak, you did it because you…" Sakura didn't need to finish the sentence, his eyes said everything - Itachi loved his brother. "I'm sorry."

"I murdered a hundred but thousands would've died if I didn't. You could not be alive today. It couldn't have been avoided." He explained to her.

"No, it couldn't." She understood the situation.

Killing his clan was the only way to avoid a civil war. But the village would never accept a traitor who murdered his own clan, and if the government told them the reasons behind his actions, they wouldn't trust their government anymore.

Itachi was put between a knife and a sword.

So her feeling was right. This man was not who he claimed to be.

Sakura thought of the possibility of Itachi be lying, but she always thought the Uchiha massacre had too many loose strings. And now, his illnesses, his actions, his motives, everything made sense.

She felt a rush of feelings come to her when she looked at his face again. He had closed his eyes but she knew he wasn't sleeping.

"I'm sorry." She said again, more like a whisper this time.

"You didn't know." He answered, eyes still closed.

"But now I do." She retorted.

Sakura leaned and kissed his forehead. She suddenly felt the need to give him as much affection as she could. And he allowed.

She kissed his eyes, cheeks and lips. She ran her hands through his scars, trying her best to show them that they weren't vain. Itachi wrapped his arms around her body, bringing her to him. She hugged him, tears falling freely now.

"I'm sorry."


	6. Chapter VI

"He's waiting for you, isn't he?" Sakura played absently with the white sheet covering the lower half of their bodies.

He had just woken up when he felt it.

Itachi wasn't a skilled sensor but he could never mistake his otouto's chakra signature. And he was sure Sasuke could feel his too.

Sakura wasn't a sensor but she knew when something was wrong with him.

He nodded in response to her question. The Uchiha got up and started getting dressed.

It was happening sooner than he expected.

"Tell him the truth." She pleaded.

"No." He gathered his weapons.

"Why not?" Itachi ignored her and headed to the front door.

Sakura ran and stopped in front of him, body wrapped in the sheet they were in just minutes before, painfully reminding him of their night together.

"Itachi, please…" She stood between him and the door with a begging look on her face.

"Move." He demanded.

Her eyes started watering. "I understand you didn't have a choice back then, but now you do-"

"Kunoichi, move." He repeated menacing.

"I can speak to my shishou, she will understand-" She tried reasoning, more to herself than to him.

"Sakura, move!" Itachi shouted, annoyed.

"No!" Sakura yelled back. "If I do, you'll get yourself killed!"

"It's my destiny to die by my brother's hands." He said.

"It's the destiny you choose for yourself. Doesn't he deserve the right to choose his own?" She asked.

"I'm not discussing this with you. Now move, otherwise I'll make you." Itachi advanced towards her.

"Then do it. I dare you lay a finger on me." Sakura gave a step forward.

"You're pushing your luck, kunoichi." He clenched his fists in order to contain his anger.

"It doesn't have to be this way." She supplicated.

"Then tell me, how does it have to be? I'll tell him the truth, the village will forgive me, you'll miraculously find a cure for my illness and we'll all live happily ever after. Naive, kunoichi." Itachi mocked.

"Then why did you tell me the truth about yourself? Why did you slept with me? Actually, why did you stay in the first place? I know why. You wanted an escape, a way out of all this darkness that surround you, even if just for awhile." Tears fell from her green orbs as she spoke.

"Do not mistake my actions, I stayed for the treatment." He said.

"Why? You were going to get yourself killed anyways!" Sakura snapped.

"Out of my way!" Itachi had enough.

He pushed her to the wall, opened the door and left the house. He stopped abruptly when two small arms wrapped around his torso. He didn't know how to react when she cried on the back of his shirt.

"Haven't you suffered enough already?" Sakura whimpered.

"I did." He explained. "This is my redemption. I'm going to find peace."

Itachi freed himself from her grasp and in the next second, he appeared behind her. Sakura seemed to get wary at this point, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Thank you." He muttered.

"No. Not aga-" She was unable to finish the sentence when he knocked her down.

Itachi caught her before she fell and placed her sheet-wrapped body on the porch.

He looked at her, hair splayed on the floor, skin marked by him, eyes and nose reddened from crying, naked body covered by a thin fabric.

He regretted hurting her as soon as he did. This woman cared about him in a way no one ever did, even if it started as pity or curiosity. He felt even more foolish than his brother.

Sasuke's chakra started moving. He probably felt Sakura's chakra spike and was coming after them. Itachi reluctantly walked away from the medic and took off in the direction of his brother's chakra.

She was right. He tried reasoning with himself, pretending he needed the treatment but he didn't.

It was that old, comfy cabin what he needed. It was that freezing, beautiful lake what he needed. It was her contrastingly pink hair and green eyes what he needed.

He never felt so at peace in his life as he did in the last few weeks. And for the first time, Itachi felt himself getting possessive over something. He wanted that place and all the secrets it held to be forever hidden.

So he made sure to get to his otouto's location before he could manage to find his paradise.

* * *

"Don't you dare ruin my work, you arrogant asshole."

Itachi felt as if he'd been asleep for just a few seconds before her voice took him from his slumber.

It wasn't the best thing to hear once you got to heaven. Then the Uchiha remembered that he was supposed to go to hell and opened his eyelids.

Sakura was crying while working on his wounds, but halted her ministrations once she saw his eyes opening. She hugged him, pouring her eyes out.

The lines were gone again. His sight was blurred, even more than last night, but at least he could still see some colors.

Itachi realized that quite some time had passed, considering it was morning when he started fighting Sasuke and now the sun was setting.

He couldn't feel his Sasuke's chakra and as the elder made sure not to hurt him too much, he could only assume that his brother was already gone to somewhere else.

Even though Itachi let Sasuke win, he wanted to make sure the younger was strong enough to take care of himself, so he wouldn't need to worry in his after-life. And he was pleased to find that, even though the elder was letting him land some blows to make it easier, he'd improved.

Thank God Kisame wasn't there, or he would've seen right through Itachi's acting.

"I'm tired." He heard her small voice falter in his chest before proceeding. Itachi closed his eyes, sighing.

"I'm tired of being knocked out and left in benches and porches. I'm tired of solving everyone else's problems because, believe me, I do have problems of my own to solve. But mostly, I'm tired of seeing good people get hurt because of lies." Sakura got away from his chest and he could feel her gaze on him.

"He doesn't know the truth, just like you wanted. When I got here, he was already gone." He could hear hope radiating from her voice. "He thinks you're dead."

It pained him to think that their fight was the last time the Uchiha would ever see his brother. But relief irradiated him knowing that Sasuke could finally be happy.

"You can stop pretending now, Itachi."


	7. Chapter VII

_Epilogue_

Sakura inhaled the scent of earth and fresh water. The lake had a different glint this morning, she noticed. If she wasn't in such a hurry, she would've swimmed one last time.

She felt the first rays of sun warming her back and smiled.

Her dream started at the sunset and now it was time to wake up.

Sakura was supposed to get back to Konoha once her extended vacation was over, which she didn't. She heard about anbus searching for the Hokage's student on the civilian village, but all search parties were vain and after six months, she was labeled dead.

It was like that cabin held some sort of magic. Sakura seriously considered that, because she was sure there wasn't any genjutsu casted around it. So, it could only be magic or luck no one found this place yet. Either way, she was grateful.

She also heard that Sasuke went back home after supposedly killing his brother. And they allowed his return, even without a body to proof, what made her really happy.

Still, she was going to have an immense headache once she got back to Konoha. Tsunade was going to throw _the_ tantrum about her one year missing, but Sakura managed to think of a lie believable enough. And with Itachi's help, she learned how to create barriers of sort on her mind, in case she was questioned.

He'd been right all the time.

Sasuke never found out the truth about his brother, the village never forgave Itachi and Sakura never miraculously found a cure for his illness. If anything, it only got worse.

Itachi went blind during the fight against his brother and as much as Sakura tried, nothing helped. His hypertension also got extremely aggravated. But at least his ptsd slowly faded.

They didn't live happily ever after either, but they were genuinely happy during their time together.

It wasn't all roses, of course. Some of their fights were so intense they would be at verge of killing each other. But the pair always tried to show their appreciation and affection in every action, every word.

Not that they ever discussed their relationship. There was no need for it. They knew where their hearts belonged.

But, as good things end fast, the two years were reduced to one after all the damage Sasuke brought to his body. And now the deadline has come.

After an extremely turbulent week, with symptoms growing worse every second, Uchiha Itachi died during his sleep, wrapped in Sakura's arms. He was well taken care of until his last breath.

Sakura fingered one of the three silver rings of the necklace on her collarbone. Her eyes fell upon the ashes she had just thrown at the water.

She would have to tell Naruto or Ino about this place, so they can throw her ashes there too once she died. Sakura would never tell anyone the secrets this place held; they were hers and Itachi's only. But she wanted to make sure to spend her eternity with him. She knew he would wait for her, as long as it takes. He's a patient man.

"Don't worry Itachi. My body may go away but my soul will always be here." Sakura turned away, praying to the gods that their private heaven would stay forever this way. Hidden.

* * *

 **A/N:** Thank you all for accompanying me on this story, and a special thanks to those who reviewed. Till next time ;)


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